Car-fender



(No Model.)

F. W. DARLING.

OAR FENDER.

Patented June 25, 1895.

we unnms versus 50,. muvo-511Mo. WASHINGTON. u, s:4

Nrrso STATES PATENT Fries..

FRANK VQDARLING, OFHAMPTON, VIRGINIA.

CAR-FENDER;

SPECIFICATION 'forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,726, dated June 25, 189 5. Appliall led Ianuary 30, 1895. Serial No. 536,710. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, FRANK W. DARLING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hamp-YA ton, in thecounty of Elizabeth City and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Fenders,of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to car-fenders., ofl that class especially designed to beapplied to oily and suburban railroads propelled by mechani- I cal power. It is more particularly of that class in which a basket or scoop is used to pick up and carry a person who may happen to be knocked down by the car. v

My invention consists essentially, of a basket or scoop suspended underneath the forward end of a car, and positively connected .with a bar in front, which bar is arranged to be lifted by the person who may have fallen in front of it, and thus the scoop is depressed and brought into action.

My said invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the front end of the car and my improved apparatus in position thereon. Fig. 2 shows a rear elevation of the scoop with asection of the beams upon which it is held. Fig. 3 shows the apparatus in side elevation. Y

In the drawings A represents the side beams of a car, and B the front of the platform. The car in Fig. Il is shown in its proper relation to the rails C, C, of the track. The basket or scoop is shown at D. The particular construction of this scoop as shown inthe drawings is not essential to my invention,but is a simple convenient form, and a part ofthe frame-work on which the netting is supported, forms also the suspending or supportingbars and a part of the tripping apparatus. These supporting bars are shown at d of which there is one on each side. They consist of flat bars of metal, preferably of steel, which at their point of connection with the hangers e, and in front and rear of this point are arranged on edge or with their wider faces in a Vvertical plane. At the rear end, these bars are formed with a half-twist, at the point 1-.-where they unite with the scoop, and the ends are bent down, and curved to a point 2, near the track. These lower endsare connected to a cross-bar f, and another cross-bar. g is connected to them at the upper point at the twist, said upper bar forming the upper edge of the scoop. The bar j' is extended laterally beyond the end 2, as shown in Figs. l and 2, and with a curved brace h, forms a lateral extension of the frame. The barsd are pivoted to the lower ends of the hangers e, which are bolted to the beams A. The pivots are preferably short bolts, fixed i'n the hangers with threaded ends provided with nuts, so that by unscrewing the nuts, the bars may be sprungoff from the bolts, and thus the apparatus be readily removed. In front of the pivoted point, these bars d are again twisted and bent down as shown in Figs. l and 3, and

their ends are connected by a cross-bar or plate t'. Preferably I form the downwardly bent front ends thinner by reducing the bars so that they will yield when forced upward by reason of any obstruction of unusual dimensions. The part t' may be an iron plate, since it is necessary that the rear ends containing the scoop should be normally held up ,in the position shown in Fig. 3. This maybe secured by forming the frontend heavier than 'the rear or the object may be secured-by means of spiral springs le, connecting the rear ends of the bars with the beams A. In case the balance be such that the frontend is normally held down by gravity, I prefer still to use light springs as k, inorder to prevent the scoop from being thrown down by the jarring of the car in its movement.

For greater certainty of action, I `provide the barf with spring fingers Z, which project forward and downward between the rails, so that when the scoop is lowered, they are in a position to pick up anybody falling under the car. I prefer also to put upon the ends of these fingers balls of rubber or other suitable material, in order to render the ends blunt, and prevent them from injuring the person falling in front of them. Y

The normal raised position of the scoop is illustrated in Fig. 3. PreferablyI arrange the parts so that the loweredges or ends of the fingers Z, are about four inches above the'plane of the tread of the rails, and when they are in this position, the lower edge of the'bar or plate t' is about tive inches above the same plane. This allows the front plate or bar i to rise to a plane about nine inches above the rails,

IOO

which is `sufficient. to .allow said bar,` to pass,

ovein theibody' ofta'n ordinary-persona But i'nr case of need, the fiat parts of the bars d are adapted as above explained to spring upward. Manifestly the scoop is thrown down when the front end is raisedasby passing overan obstruction,but is not held down after such anL obstruction is passed over by the front bar.

In order to hold down lthe scoop,.and cause.` it to pick up the person fallen under the car, I provide pawls o, pivoted to the beams A, and bearing upon'notchedupper.edges of ,the bars d. These are arranged asshowntolactby gravity and to hold the scoop down until they are released. ``The fscoop is covered with netting, which fj maybeY ofwire orropeas `maybe preferred. 1Ihaveused` ropenettingWithfgoodeffeot. 5

'- `Ihave described .the'bars d as being formed withfone piecerbnt it `willbeinderstood,that

"i this is not essential.

-\ -Frorn tiredescription"above given, itw-llbe seen tha'tthe-scoo'p isi-operated by thedifting 'certainty ofaotion.'

f `That Iclaim is- 1: `A carfender comprising a movable scoop `suspended beneath the car, avertically mov- .able cross bar arranged to be lifted by contact with objects upon the track, and rigid connections from the cross bar to the scoop, substantially as described.

2. `In a` car fender, the rigid frame comprising the rear scoop, and the front cross bar arranged to contact with and be lifted by objects upon the track, and pivotal connections between the intermediate portion of said frame and the car body, substantially as described.

` 3. In acarfender the rigid frame compris ing the rear scoop, andthe front cross bar arranged to contact with and be. lifted by objects upon the track, pivotal connections bedescribed. In testimony-whereof Iv aixmyslgnature in presence of twowitnesses.

FRANK DARLING.

` "Witnesses:

J AMES Ms SPEAR, W. CLARENCE DUVALL. 

